Addressing The Stars
by llAurorall
Summary: It's not like it was back then...  Fang & Vanille


_Author's Note: First time posting for this fandom! Also, this is better viewed from lj and if you go to the post there, there's a whole load of other stuff to go with it such as pics and vids. The link for my lj page is on my bio page. Enjoy!  
_

_Final Fantasy XIII, Addressing The Stars_

Gran Pulse had changed.

In the five hundred years of her crystal suspension, everything Fang had known about her home was gone. All that remained was herself and Vanille.

The fields around Oerba, once green and peppered with flowers, were now barren and scarred with ruins from the war. The town itself was just ancient; nothing of the vibrancy had survived. In the quiet Fang thought she could hear noises of her childhood, echoing through time; the laughter, shouts and bustle of honest work. The empty reality left her cold.

Vanille's grief was harder to bear than her own; made even harder by being helpless to change it. The small oasis they were now camped in brought life to her partner's eyes but Fang knew it couldn't last with what lay ahead.

Tonight would be all they had before the moved away from Oerba. Vanille knew it too, with the way she had escaped early from dinner and found her own camp by the lakeside. The others opted to sleep in the caves.

All Fang could do was follow and keep watch. If one night was all she could give, she gave it gladly.

At the rasp of fabric behind her, Fang's fingers tightened around her spear. The boots crunching over dirt were too light to be Snow. The stride length was too short to be Sazh who would follow his patrol duty.

She concentrated on the worn feel of her weapon, easing the adrenaline spike surging through her blood.

Perfume on the wind came from the disturbed flowers up the trail. Fang adjusted her footing, edging in the direction the intruder was approaching from. She was a breath away from spinning when she heard the familiar slap of leather against metal. Instincts borne of years, decades of fighting, washed away.

"You should be sleeping." Fang said to Lightning, her gaze not leaving the small valley. Her limbs shuddered away the last of their tension.

If Lightning was surprised Fang had guessed her state she didn't show it. "Shouldn't you be too?"

Fang shrugged.

Lightning followed her line of sight; Vanille was curled under the bough of a plant, sleeping in soft mosses. She stirred occasionally, fingers moving through the undergrowth in search of another body.

"You really care about her." Lightning said gently.

"I never pretended not to."

Lightning said nothing. Her own difficulties were too deep. Fang didn't offer any conversation and together they stood watch. More often than not, Fang's gaze was fixed on Vanille. Every slight noise Vanille made was enough to make Fang twitch.

She tried to ignore it. She followed the line of cliffs and shrubbery, appreciating the glow offered by the moon and Cocoon above. It wouldn't hold. She was always pulled back to Vanille.

"I can keep watch." Lightning offered. Fang turned to her for the first time. "You could get some sleep… I'm sure she would appreciate knowing you were… Closer."

"I guess." She relented uneasily. She retreated down the ridge with a small smile in thanks.

The clearing seemed miles wide. Fang could see Vanille at its opposite border, sleeping fitfully. The distance opened like a chasm that threatened to eat her up. Her heart lurched in to her throat. The irrational fear that she would never be near her again made her legs weak.

She stumbled the first steps, dropping her spear. Panic made her run and suddenly she was at Vanille's side, panting even though she knew she had barely moved. She sank to her knees, sweating and hands shaking.

A lump formed in her throat. Lightning was still watching them. All Fang wanted was to shake Vanille awake to make sure she was alive. It took all the control she had to move beside her slowly, curving her long body around Vanille's much smaller one.

Lightning smiled at her softly, almost sadly Fang thought, before disappearing up the trail.

As soon as she was in place, Vanille latched on. Her hands folded in Fang's robes and her head found the crook of her shoulder. The implicit trust never failed to leave her breathless.

After a moment Fang let herself complete the embrace, combing Vanille's hair back from her face. "I'm here." She murmured into Vanille's crown, flooding with relief.

Her name slipped from Vanille's lips; half moan, half plea. Fang tightened her grip, determined to fend off Vanille's demons; real or imagined.

"Right here, Vanille…" Fang said, gathering her up. "Between you and whatever beastie is comin' our way."

The nightmare wouldn't give way. Vanille struggled to break free. Fang held tighter, gritting her teeth against every exertion. She called her name, gently at first and with more urgency when Vanille's thrashing threatened to send them both falling into the lake.

Tears rolled down Vanille's cheeks the moment her eyes flew open. She heaved for breath and her gaze was frantic. She sobbed with relief when Fang guided them together.

"It was just a dream. Nothing's gonna hurt you so long as I'm around."

Vanille crawled into her lap fully, straddling her hips and looping her arms behind Fang's shoulders. Their foreheads touched, the last of her tears plummeting to Fang's cheeks. It took a long time for her breathing to slow.

"You were gone…" She said, choking on the words.

Fang pulled her closer, cradling her head as the tears threatened to spill from her own eyes. "You died…" She said brokenly. "You died for our Focus; for me so I wouldn't have to become a Cie'th."

Fang cupped Vanille's face, their heads still pressed together. Barely controlled breaths washed over her face. Her hands were shaking but her voice was strong. "I won't let you become a Cie'th." She said. She gently brushed aside stray wisps of Vanille's red hair.

She recalled her vow to Lightning about doing whatever it took to protect Vanille; even ripping Cocoon from its heavenly cradle. Nothing would make her fail that promise "I'm _always_ gonna be here for you… I'd give my life for you; whatever it takes."

It hurt when Vanille wrenched herself away. She escaped to the water's edge, arms folded over her midriff. The silence was deafening.

With a sigh, arms empty, Fang rocked back. She watched a star streak across the night sky.

Snow and Sazh were switching duties; Fang could hear their boots as they moved. Lightning was talking to Hope, even though the boy was asleep. Beyond the camp noises the birds and insects were talking in the moonlight.

Vanille was quieter than Fang had ever known.

"I don't remember my parents…" Fang said. Vanille didn't answer. The only indication she had heard was the shift in her stance. "All I remember is growing up in the orphanage… With you.

"We didn't have much as kids and everything was messed up with the war. Growing up was mostly about surviving all the stuff the Elders piled on us and avoiding Cocoon patrols. But we had each other… Even when I thought I had nothing, I knew I had you."

Fang pulled herself up and approached Vanille. Over her shoulder she looked out at the waters. The tranquillity eased the restlessness coiling in her stomach. Her hand on Vanille's back was anther anchor.

"You're all I've ever had Vanille. I know it's hard and it ain't fair but if it means I've gotta give my life so you can keep yours, it's not something that I need to think about."

Vanille rounded on her, small fists connecting with Fang's chest with enough force to make her stagger. The tears in her eyes took away the sting.

"It's not like how it was back then, Fang!" She sobbed. "Our Focus is different now and we have a new family." She bit her lip, curling into Fang as she came back. The contact gave them both comfort. "It's different now; I'm _stronger_ now… I don't want it always to be you that has to hurt."

"Vanille…" Fang said softly, lifting Vanille's chin with her fingers. The reflection in her eyes was blurred. "_Any_ pain is worth it."

"It's the same for me too, you know. I would do it for you." She tugged on Fang's sari desperately. "Can't I fight with you this time? Can't I be brave too?"

"It's not about being brave. It's nothing like that." She pulled Vanille as close as physicality would allow. Her heart was beating out of her chest. "It's _fear_, Vanille. Plain and simple."

A soft kiss lighted the underside of Fang's ear. "Then let me be scared with you." Vanille breathed, holding tighter. "Don't leave me behind again."

"I can't promise you…" Fang said. She hated that the truth was not something she could hide.

Vanille pulled away, leaving Fang breathless and cold. She shuddered violently, goose bumps flaring along her arms. She sucked in air like she'd been punched. Tears blossomed under her closed eyes.

Vanille stopped and turned. She spoke to Fang's back. "Can you promise me something else then…?"

Swallowing hard, Fang nodded. She didn't dare look.

"Promise you'll always love me?" Vanille said, so quiet it was just air between them. She came back to Fang and wrapped her small arms around her waist, nuzzling into the depression between Fang's shoulder blades. Fang gasped as Vanille's fingers interlaced over her stomach and held tight. "I love you…"

"I love you too." She put her hands over Vanille's. "Always have."

"And you'll keep loving me?" She said hopefully, humming into Fang's skin. "No matter what happens?"

Fang nodded, starting to smile again. "No matter what happens."

No sooner than the words left her mouth, Vanille pulled back and pushed. Fang lost her feet on the embankment and toppled into the lake in a mess of arms and legs. The water engulfed her greedily, sending splashes up to make Vanille shriek with delight.

Fang surfaced seconds later, thick black hair clinging to her face. Her sari had fallen to leave her covered only by her thin shirt. Vanille grinned at her shamelessly.

"Oh, you've gone and done it now…" Fang said, growling. The water dripping down her face only made Vanille laugh.

"You promised." She said in a sing-song voice.

Fang waded to the waters' edge. Vanille cautiously stepped back. Under her feet Fang could feel a ridge against the bank and slipped her sandal against it, finding the anchor she needed.

"No one said that loving you meant I had to be _nice_." She said, launching up in a wave of water and grabbing Vanille by the shirtfront. She screamed loud enough that it echoed through the whole valley. The water swallowed the last of it and Fang laughed as the strangled cry continued under water.

Vanille bobbed up, spluttering furiously. Fang grinned. "Looking a bit damp there, Vanille."

"You don't fight fair." She wined, struggling with the hair in her face.

Fang took pity on her and brushed the strands back from her face. She smiled. "Damn right I don't; not when it comes to you."

Vanille grinned at the soft tone. She waded over to Fang and enveloped her in a hug.

"I really do, you know."

Fang grinned, curling herself around Vanille. "I really do too…"

... ... ...

Lightning heard the boys running toward her before she saw them. Vanille's scream was still ringing through the valley and it left chills in its wake.

She held out her arm to stop Snow and Sazh from charging down into the clearing, blind with panic.

"Relax, guys." She said, ushering them back up the slope. They were confused and protested but moved with continued urging.

Just before they turned Lightning looked over her shoulder. Fang pushed Vanille back under the surface of the lake. The laughter reached her on the wind and brought the smile back to her face.

_Aurora_


End file.
